Just watched the "highlights" on nfl.com

The highlights made the game look pretty exciting and competitive. Lots of offense on both sides. The differences illustrated by these highlights were that Steelers made really clutch plays and catches on offense - covered receivers made great catches for big gains or scores; Jags made big plays to wide open receivers, benefited from poor tackling and busted coverage. Odd coaching decisions aside, the highlights illustrate either a lack of defensive talent, poor defensive strategy, poor defensive coaching, or a combination of all three. The on-going communication problems on defense would seem to be the big concern and either pomt to the mental skills of the players or the poor coaching and preparation. For there to be self-admitted communication issues on defense (I read this somewhere this evening in a quote from a player) at this point in the season is inexcusable, even with Shazier being out.

 

Basically what I've been saying. They got some bounces and got up early ,but their defense didn't really stop the offense once they got rolling. Bad play selection did.

 

We could not make them one dimensional. They were gashing us for 5 to 7 yards on first down. Never got them in 3rd and long. We were at their mercy. Play action and our guys bit immediately.

 

Read in one of the game previews that Bortles ad the 9th-best QB rating when running play-action and that the PIT defense ranked 23rd against PA.

The game reflected that.

 

I just saw where this was the most points scored on a Steelers defense in the playoffs matching Dolphins in the '85 AFCC.

 

This game is 100% on Butler and the defensive staff and the awful linebackers. Fire everyone from Butler on down, replace practice squad linebackers that are starting and replace mitchell.

 

That's it right there, but they also didn't force them to play call conservative either. Aside from that first long drive, there really wasn't another one that started from the 25 or so.

That last FG drive was entirely on bad coaching. If you think you can get the ball back or get a stop, then you kick that long. Make them start from the 25 and make them fearful of making a mistake to get the 3 and out.

I believe that given one more drive with time on the clock and minus that last FG. they pull this off and it becomes the biggest deficit the team had come back from to win a playoff game. We're all sitting here talking about bad defense, but also how great this offense is and how they gashed the hell out of the so-called #1 defense!

 

And a week later, we are talking about the same bad D, same coaches, play calling, etc.

***some of our players and coach actually talk about games in the future that never happen.

 

The crazy thing is I think we win that game if we used a QB sneak on 4th and inches ... no doubt we win it if we converted the 4th and 4 as well. Maybe could have won if we kicked it off vs onside kick. This game was so close we could not afford to have the coaching staff make mental gaffes. The players have a hard enough time as it is.

I truly believe much of our defensive issues are personel. I think the issue at NT and Tuitt put a ton of pressure on the LB's. The safeties issues put a ton of pressure on everyone and create a situation were no one can make a mistake on defense. Good safety play can cover up corner issues , LB issues, and especially run defense issues.

 

The Steelers got the ball twice (once after a blocked put in plus territory) down 28-21 and did nothing. So while the Steelers got back in the game, when they had two chances to make an offensive play and even the game, they couldn't.

 

Let's not forget - the Steelers forced the Jags into ONE negative play all day (that was a bobbled snap) so acting like it was a bad play call only is a bit short sighted.

 

If you watch the highlights close, all our receivers are guarded very close, their receivers are more open. This is the difference between our secondary and their secondary, especially in the safeties, Barry Church who is always around the ball versus Mike Mitchell who is never around the ball. Burns and Haden versus Ramsey and Bouye is also no contest.

By the way, Church and Bouye came in via free agency.

 

I can't bear to watch the highlights. What a tremendous effort by Ben and the offense gone to waste by the most pitiful defensive performance in Steelers postseason history!

 

Jags controlled the whole game. We couldn’t tie the game because they shut us down. Something our D couldn’t do once when it mattered

 

You have to wonder if drafting JuJu was a luxury we just could not afford. If we used that pick on a NT , LB, or safety would we have been better off? I love JuJu so I'm not saying it was a bad pick...just saying this is how close we were to winning that game.

Yes it was one of the worst defensive performances of a lifetime. Same can be said about the Jags defense. In a playoff game especially you just cannot have mental gaffes by the coaching staff. We didn't just have one... we had several. 2 fourth down play calls that were moronic. Onside kick. Not calling time out with 2:08 on the clock. The defensive game plan as a whole. resting players for a month, the idea that we could beat the jags with runs to the outside plagued us all day... Our coaches had to be the ONLY people on earth who thought they were slow to the outside. We tore up their defense all day with runs and passes in the middle of the field. Why were we always out of position to stop 3-5 yard passes and screens? Everyone knows that's all they can do offensively is screens and quick dumps. Seems to me we needed to have more in the box and playing tight coverage at the LOS. We gave them 5 yards on every play like we were worried about their deep routes. THey hit one all day and it was basically a toss up and Burns sucks. (what happened to making Burns the #3 corner?) Sutton is a better corner.

 

I watched the Highlights as well. Sadly no one remembers or wants to remember spectacular plays when you lose.

Brown had two nice TD's, Bryant had a nice one, Bell had a nice one.

All get lost in the shuffle of time of a terrible lost to team you should of beat and were expected to beat.

 

BTW, I've had the misfortune of seeing the TOP 2 worst defensive performances in a playoff game. Jags put 45 on us, and Pats put 41 on us in 2005???.... both games were cold as hell, but that Pats game ended in negative temps..... much like our defensive performances.

Don't let the TV highlights fool you..... our guys didn't just bite on play action, it was even worse seeing the whole field.... horrible defensive decision making. It's going to be rough when you've got guys like LJ Fort, Shawn Spence and Walton on the field..... these guys are not starter or backup material, let alone Bud dupree's mistakes.

 

What aggravates me is we couldn't stop them in the first half, but it looked like no one on D coaching tried something new, like they were just hoping the offense would bail them out. He'll, go man across the board and run blitz everyone else. Bottles showed in the first half he could hit wide open receivers with time and a clean pocket, should have been seeing what he could do with a rush on him and press coverage.